Silver announced that the Clippers owner had been fined $2.5 million and was banned from any association with the team and the NBA for life. He also plans to urge other team owners to force a sale of the team in response to controversial remarks about blacks purportedly made by Sterling.

Silver said the lifetime ban would stand regardless of whether Sterling was ultimately forced to sell the team he's owned for 33 years. The commissioner said the NBA constitution allowed owners to eject Sterling if three-quarters of the owners voted in favor of such a move, and that he would commence the process of expulsion immediately.

“I fully expect," Silver said, "to get the support I need from the other NBA owners to remove him."

Earlier today, the Clippers released a statement saying: "We wholeheartedly support and embrace the decision by the NBA and Commissioner Adam Silver today. Now the healing process begins.”